The present invention relates to a device for the production of ozone.
Ozone, also referred to as xe2x80x9cactivated oxygenxe2x80x9d, is an allotropic form of oxygen, and is one of the strongest oxidants. Ozone can be produced by silent electrical discharge, by connecting a AC high-voltage, high-frequency power supply across two electrodes and passing an oxygen-containing gas, for example air or pure oxygen, between the electrodes. As the air passes between the electrodes, some of the oxygen molecules are excited to produce ozone molecules.
Ozone is an effective disinfecting and deodorizing agent. Ozone is capable of killing bacteria by braking up their molecular structure. Thus, where unpleasant or harmful smells are caused by noxious airborne chemicals and by surface bacteria, the ozone kills the bacteria and breaks down the molecular structures of the chemicals, thus disinfecting and deodorizing. Even at a low level of 0.1 parts per million, ozone is an effective bactericide. Because ozone is unstable, the ozone decomposes to oxygen leading no residues to further eliminate. Ozone can also be used to sterilize water by the dissolution of ozone in it.
Commercial devices for producing ozone, typically for disinfecting and deodorizing are well known.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,560 (Cole) discloses an ozone generator, one embodiment of which exhibits a relatively good efficiency in ozone generation, at least when fed with pure oxygen. It comprises a plurality of wires stretched across the surface of a ceramic plate, e.g. of alumina. The opposite surface of the ceraminc plate is coated with metal to form an electrode. A high voltage applied across the ceramic between the wires and the metal coating will cause a corona discharge to occur at the wire.
This design, although fairly efficient, is tedious to assemble in view of the many wires required that must be attached and positioned correctly.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an efficient ozone generator that can be easily assembled using as few components as possible.
Such a need is met by the novel and inventive ozone generator as defined in the appended claims.
In particular it comprises a dielectric member having first and second faces; a first electrode provided on the first face of said dielectric member; a second electrode provided on the second face of said dielectric member; wherein the first electrode is made of an electrically conductive material, having a first and a second face, and wherein the first face of the first electrode and the first face of the dielectric member are structured so as to define at least one channel between them, said channel(s) extending in a defined pattern between said dielectric member and said first electrode.
In a particular embodiment the ozone generator comprises a flat dielectric plate having first and second faces; a first electrode provided on the first face of said plate; a second electrode provided on the second face of said plate; connectors for coupling said electrodes to a voltage source; wherein the first electrode is an electrically conductive plate, having a first and a second face, and having at least one elongated recess in said first face, said first face being in contact with said first face of said dielectric plate, such that said recesse(s) and said dielectric plate define channels in cooperation with said dielectric plate.
Thus, the object of simplifying the construction is achieved by providing a plurality of corona discharge sites or surfaces in a unitary structure in the form of a metal member and a dielectric member which in cooperation define a plurality of gas channels. The channels, being narrow and elongated provide a high concentration of corona discharges in a fairly restricted volume, thus producing a high yield of ozone per unit volume of air or oxygen introduced in said volume. Thereby the efficiency of ozone generation is increased.
The provision of a single, unitary, multi-channel structure wherein the ozone is generated, enables a drastically simplified manufacturing or assembling of the generator as a whole.
Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.